“Playing in the front third and getting a goal always does wonders for your confidence,” Brosque said. “It’s not every day you get to play against good quality premier league opposition so for us to do that and gain experience and a good result against them is fantastic for us.

‘‘It puts into practice everything we’ve been doing with Arnie [coach Graham Arnold] and shows we are going in the right direction and the boys can take a lot of confidence from that.”

A brace from young striker Corey Gameiro and Brosque’s strike fuelled the offence for Sydney FC in the pre-season hit-out for both teams.

Brosque said one of the most pleasing aspects of the win was the team’s ability to bounce back after a tough loss.

“It's very easy for a team to put your head down after that,” Brosque said of the loss to Newcastle. “But the fact the boys didn’t do that and bounced back to get a very good win against West Ham shows we will be a tough team this year and bounce back when things aren’t going well.

‘‘In the small time we’ve had with Arnie we are learning very quickly and I think we will only get better and definitely be ready when the season comes around.”

The Sky Blues will now prepare for their inaugural match in the FFA Cup against Melbourne City in a fortnight.